Govt kills more civilians than militants

KABUL: Afghan and international forces have killed more civilians than insurgents in the war with the Taliban and other militants in the first three months of this year — the first time deaths caused by government forces and their allies have exceeded those of their enemies, a new UN report said yesterday.

Insurgents were responsible for the majority of killed and wounded civilians combined, according to the report by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.

The report also said overall 1773 civilians were killed or wounded in the three months, a significant drop from the same period last year, when 2305 civilians were killed or wounded in conflict.

Between January 1 and March 31, the report said 581 civilians were killed and 1192 were wounded.

While insurgents caused most of the injuries, progovernment forces, including Nato, killed the majority of civilians. They were responsible for 305 civilian deaths, nearly half of them in air strikes. — AP